Presidential Amnesty Programme Aircraft Engineers Rendered Homeless in Lagos Amid Training.
A group of 40 aircraft maintenance engineers under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) have raised alarm over their sudden eviction and homelessness in Lagos State, during their ongoing On-the-Job Training (OJT). In an open letter dated October 10, 2024, the trainees, who were deployed for a year-long aircraft maintenance course in September 2023, called on the PAP Administrator, Chief Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, to urgently intervene and provide accommodation to enable them to complete their training.
The engineers, sent for type rating courses and OJT, revealed that their training was delayed until March 2024, with only feeding allowances provided. While their feeding and transportation balances were eventually paid in July 2024, no accommodation or in-training allowances were provided, forcing the trainees to appeal to their trainers for temporary housing arrangements.
“We appealed to our trainer to provide accommodation for us, with the assurance that we would foot and reconcile our bills immediately after receiving payment from PAP,” the letter reads. However, the engineers have since been ejected from their guest houses, rendering them homeless and unable to continue their training.
“We are incapacitated to meet up with our primary purpose of participating in the Job Training, which is at the brink of its completion,” they wrote. The group expressed concerns that their eviction could jeopardize their chances of becoming certified type-rated aircraft engineers, a qualification that would enhance their employability in the aviation industry.
The engineers noted that, historically, no PAP delegate has been sent for training—either in Nigeria or abroad—without adequate accommodation provisions, making their current situation unprecedented. They appealed to the PAP Administrator to uphold the Programme’s commitment to Niger Delta beneficiaries and prevent the truncation of their professional dreams.
The open letter, which was copied to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and the National Assembly, ends with a plea for urgent intervention to restore their living conditions and ensure the successful completion of their training.
The engineers are hopeful that the PAP leadership, which has a track record of addressing the needs of Niger Delta youths, will take swift action to resolve the matter.